Deo Volente
by SurrealMind
Summary: Takes place after "The End" and "The New Man in Charge." Hurley and Ben deal with new mysteries after becoming the protectors of the Island. While some of the people who left on the plane return to their lives, some begin to plot ways to return home.
1. The Messenger of Death

_**DEO VOLENTE**_

**CHAPTER ONE**

**THE****MESSENGER****OF DEATH**

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Lost, any of the characters, ABC, Bad Robot Productions, Darlton, the DeGroots, Alvar Hanso and all of us at the Dharma Initiative! Thank you, namaste, and... Good luck!_

_**This is set after**____**The End**____**and after**____**The New Man in Charge**__**. If you haven't seen that, you might not understand what's going on.**_

"Home. That's what this place is to me now. I guess it's always been my home, but now... Now it's different. I feel I really belong here. I don't ever want to leave." I looked down at my white shoes that I've been wearing for almost two years straight now. "Becoming the protector really changed me. Before, I think, I was kind of lost. I came back because Jacob told me I should, but deep down I never wanted to see the Island again. But now everything is different. I love it here. And I'm happy you stayed too, dude."

Ben looked up at me and smiled. "I'm glad I stayed too, Hugo. I'm glad we all did. Speaking of which, where is he?"

"I don't know. Last I saw, he was heading over to Rose and Bernard's with Vincent. They're still just as attached to that dog as he is," I laughed. "And Vincent loves all of them more than anything!"

"A dog is the only thing on this earth that loves you more than he loves himself."

We both just looked at the ocean for a while, silent and still. The way the waves crashed against the sand reminded me of the years before the end. Everything happened fast, and with such force, but it was all so beautiful. I would still wonder how events would have turned out if Jack hadn't gone into the Source. If he hadn't died. I still wondered what would have happened if Ben hadn't stayed with me.

Our quaint thoughts were interrupted by a loud cracking sound. We looked in the direction the blast came from and sprang to our feet. I looked at Ben. Ben looked at me.

"Uh… What was that?" I asked nervously. The hair on the back of our necks stood straight up when we heard the second gunshot. We immediately ran west to find out what the clamor was. We stopped dead in our tracks when we saw a bloody body on the ground about one hundred yards in front of us. We turned over the carcass and our hearts stopped when we saw who it was.

I couldn't believe it.

Everything was so perfect.

And now…

Walt Lloyd was dead.


	2. Only in Dreams

**DEO VOLENTE**

**CHAPTER 2  
ONLY IN DREAMS**

**DISCLAIMER****: Unfortunately, I don't own LOST. If I did, it would still be on the air until the day the last actor died.**

_Beep… Beep…Beep… Beep…_

_He rolled his chair over to the computer._

_4… 8… 15… 16… 23… 42… Execute._

_The timer flipped back to 108. He walked into the kitchen to make himself a cup of hot tea. While it was making, he opened the closet door to discover the vaccine he had been injecting into his bloodstream for the last three years. He walked towards the record player and popped in "Dharma Lady" by Geronimo Jackson. As it was playing, he did some work on his exercise machine, and then drank his cup of tea. When he finished th—_

_"Hello, Desmond." A soft, but eerie voice uttered from the shadows. Desmond jumped. He hadn't seen or heard anybody since Kelvin died – since he killed Kelvin. He looked around The Swan for the intruder, but failed to see anyone._

_"Who is it?" The Scotsman asked the air. "I said, 'Who's there'!" He repeated angrily._

_"My name is Benjamin. I'm here to help you."_

_"Benjamin…" He repeated under his breath. "Where are you?"_

_"I'm afraid that doesn't matter. What does matter, Desmond, is your wife and son."_

_"Wife and..." He began. "I'm not even bloody married! I don't have any children!" He was yelling now, "Who the bloody hell are you?"_

_"You might not believe it, Desmond, but I'm your friend." The voice told him. "And I'm here to help you. Help you leave."_

_This caught his attention. God, he wanted to leave. More than anything. He wanted to see her so badly. He missed her._

_"What do I need to do?" He asked, cooperatively._

_Ben laughed. "Wake up!"_

My eyes opened. There was that dream again! Why did I keep having this dream? What did it mean? Ever since I left the Island…

"James…?" She asked tiredly.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"You alright?" She turned to me and looked me in the eyes. She was in that serious mode, the one you can't fight your way out of with a few snappy one-liners or a cute nickname.

I sighed. "I had the dream again." Kate tensed up at my words. "The one where I—"

"Where you're Desmond." She looked at my chest. "Back in the hatch." She paused to look me in the eyes again. "On the Island."

I sighed and rolled over. "You know we have to, James." She continued. "We can't just leave them there. Who knows what they're going through? Maybe Jack never stopped Locke. Maybe he's still there. Trying to leave. We can't let that happen. We have to go –"

"Don't say it." I scowled. "Don't you dare." I rolled back over. She was still staring at me. "You remember the last time you left? You thought we needed help. You thought you needed to save us! And guess what!" I stopped to glare at her. "Juliet died."

Kate frowned. She was always teary-eyed when I mentioned her. When I mentioned my real love. _When I mentioned Juliet._After Frank landed the Miracle Plane in Fiji, no one knew what to do with themselves. I was so fucked up without Juliet, and Kate was fucked up without Jack, and… It just happened. We needed someone. It's been four months since it all ended. But… It never really did end. No one was happy. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I just drank. Kate felt it was her damn duty to get back to that godforsaken island. Richard actually bought his own private island in the Caribbean – he was that damn homesick. The little baby Aaron was scared to death of his really mother, and only wanted Kate. So Claire started doing drugs and even started slitting her wrists. Frank got shot in some bank robbery down in Texas. Poor bastard only made it six weeks after that... Miles was the only one of us who was actually happy. Apparently son of a bitch dug up Nina and Pablo's graves and snatched up all their diamonds. He sold 'em for something like eight mil'. Bastard didn't share shit with the rest of us.

"I'm sorry…" I said. I didn't mean it. "I mean it." She kissed me. It felt wrong. All of this was just' wrong. I wasn't supposed to be with her, and she wasn't supposed to be with me. I pulled away. She stared at me again. She was thinking' 'bout something'. She was worried. I looked back at her. I couldn't' stand it no more. I can't be with her! I don't even love her anymore! I love Juliet.

I got outta bed.

"What're you doing, James?" She said, her voice shaking.

"Gettin' dressed, the hell's it look like I'm doin'?" I said coldly.

"Where are you going?" She demanded.

"I don't care. Anywhere. Anywhere but here." I stopped putting my trousers on. I looked at the ground for a while, then turned to Kate. I glared, "Away from you."

Her eyes widened, and she started to bawl like a baby. I felt bad, but I needed to do it. It was the only option. The only way to get away from her.

I got in my car, and drove to the airport.


End file.
